So sorry for the delay! I have been preparing for weeks for my final requirement of my OJT and I passed! I can finally resume my updates!
Shen Yu's words were not a joke. Except for the morning court sessions, the two of them practically spent all their time together. Shang Junlin naturally knew this, but as he watched Shen Yu's innocent appearance, he increasingly felt that he couldn't escape from this matter.
Shen Yu never concealed his disgust towards King Yue. Shang Junlin had noticed this long ago. He had suspected that there was some hidden reason behind it that he didn't know about. Later, he realized that with Shen Yu's personality, even without any hidden reasons, King Yue's past actions were enough to provoke his disgust.
"Regardless of who did this, I must thank them properly," Shang Junlin remarked.
"Maybe it was King Yue's actions that angered the public, prompting them to attack him spontaneously. If you ask me, King Yue is quite strange. He did those things indeed, but now he lacks the courage to admit it," Shen Yu remarked disdainfully, unable to tolerate such self-righteous individuals.
"Some people are just like that. When I was in the palace before, he brought other Kings to bully me. After bullying me, he would criticize me, saying that it was my fault for attracting such bullying. He always likes to present himself as clean and innocent. If it weren't for the sudden turn of events, even in the case of rebellion, he would have disguised himself as someone upholding justice," Shang Junlin said, showing his deep understanding of King Yue's psychology.
Shen Yu wasn't surprised because in their past lives, it was indeed like this— all the blame was pushed onto Shang Junlin, while King Yue remained spotless.
"What Your Majesty said is true. This incident will probably make him uncomfortable for quite some time," Shang Junlin added.
Their speculations were not wrong. King Yue remained unconscious for a whole day before waking up. Tan-xiangsheng stood by his bedside, his expression grave.
"What happened exactly? Why did he suddenly faint?" King Yue's chest tightened as he recalled the events leading up to his collapse, and he closed his eyes in discomfort.
Tan-xiangsheng certainly wasn't clueless. After King Yue fainted, he ordered a thorough interrogation of everyone who had contact with King Yue that day. The results of the interrogation left him baffled.
Was it really possible for someone to faint from anger over mere rumors?
Tan-xiangsheng couldn't wrap his head around it.
He attempted to find other possibilities, but after a thorough investigation, the conclusion was exactly what he had hoped not to believe.
"The physician said you suffered from an emotional outburst. What could have upset you so much?" Tan-xiangsheng made a final attempt to understand.
After a moment of silence, King Yue slowly sat up with the help of his attendants. His complexion was poor, and his eyes showed complex emotions.
"Tan-xiangsheng, have you heard the rumors about me circulating outside?" With this question, all speculations were confirmed.
Tan-xiangsheng couldn't believe it. "So you fainted from a few harmless words?!"
"Do you think those words are harmless?" King Yue clenched his fists. "Tan-xiangsheng, have you heard about what's being said outside? Is it more outrageous than these rumors?"
"It's just some disgruntled individuals venting their frustration. Why take it seriously?" Tan-xiangsheng didn't know how to describe his feelings at that moment. However, considering that they still needed King Yue for future matters, he began to console him with a complex mix of emotions.
"Can't it be stopped?" King Yue lowered his head, his expression unreadable.
"I've already ordered a halt to the rumors in Hanzhou. As for other places, we can't control them for now. You don't need to worry. Once our plans succeed, who would dare to speak ill of you?" Tan-xiangsheng reassured.
"I understand."
After a few days of recuperation, King Yue's health gradually recovered. Tan-xiangsheng issued a decree forbidding anyone from mentioning these matters in front of King Yue.
However, words can never be completely suppressed. The more they tried to stop open discussion, the faster rumors spread in private. What was initially known by only a few people soon became common knowledge among the people of Hanzhou.
The dissatisfaction among the people towards King Yue continued to grow.
When the Beimo Emperor received the documents sent by Da Huan, he became furious. That night, he summoned the court ministers to discuss the matter in the palace.
"What does he mean by this?!" The Beimo Emperor slammed his hand on the table, causing it to shake.
The ministers exchanged glances, still unaware of what had happened.
"See for yourselves." Suppressing his anger, the Beimo Emperor instructed a servant to read out the documents sent by Da Huan.
As the servant read aloud, the expressions on the ministers' faces gradually changed.
Embarrassment, anger... a variety of emotions intertwined, making for a dramatic scene.
"The Emperor of Da Huan has gone too far!" A senior minister's face turned red with anger. "He's demanding that we give up all our hoarded resources!"
Coincidentally, what Da Huan demanded from Beimo happened to be the maximum they could offer.
"Da Huan's appetite is insatiable. Who does he think he is to demand this?!"
"In addition to various resources, there are also pastures. Linyuan is one of the richest lands in Beimo. He says he wants it, but why should we comply?!"
The hall erupted into chaos.
The Beimo Emperor rubbed his temples wearily and reprimanded, "Shut up! Do you think the emperor of Da Huan can hear you speaking ill of him here? Instead of wasting time on these matters, think about how we should deal with this situation."
"Why did Da Huan suddenly start demanding compensation? Weren't they always too proud to bother with such things?" Otherwise, they wouldn't have just sent a surrender letter.
"Who knows the reason? The current Emperor of Da Huan holds a grudge against us in Beimo. Shortly after ascending the throne, he ignored the former emperor's decrees and attacked us vigorously. Now that he has firmly secured the throne, most likely these demands are his idea."
"Are we supposed to just obediently give up our possessions?"
From the Emperor to the common people, no one was willing to relinquish these things willingly.
Unlike Da Huan, which had abundant land and resources, Beimo relied on nomadic lifestyles and lived off the land. They frequently raided Da Huan for its territory.
Knowing that the people of Beimo wouldn't willingly give up these things, the Subei Army had been pressuring them. After fighting for so long, they couldn't come away empty-handed.
It was expected that the people of Beimo wouldn't cooperate.
"What does Your Majesty plan to do?" Shen Yu picked up the documents from Beimo and quickly scanned through them. "Now they're crying for sympathy. Where were they before?"
The Emperor of Beimo, inspired by who knows what, launched into a dramatic lament, claiming that his country was also suffering from the severe drought affecting Da Huan, and that they were marching south because they had no other choice and wanted to seek a way out for their people, and so on.
Shen Yu couldn't help but find it amusing. It seemed Da Huan wasn't easy to deal with, so they resorted to playing on emotions. Unfortunately for them, Shang Junlin wasn't the kind of person who would easily soften up when he shouldn't.
"If they can't do it, then they can wait for the Subei Army to come knocking on their door," Shang Junlin's tone was icy. "Claiming to seek a way out for their people is not a justification for invading our Da Huan."
"If they truly cared about their people, they could have let them become citizens of our Da Huan. That way, Da Huan would have protected them from hunger. Wouldn't you agree, Your Majesty?" Shen Yu lowered his eyes.
"Ah Yu is absolutely right. Since they are not citizens of our Da Huan, why should Da Huan be expected to sympathize with them?"
The court's intentions were clear, and Subei was pleased with this attitude from the court. They had been harboring resentment towards Beimo for a long time, and if they let it slide this time, they would be unhappy.
With instructions from the court, the Subei Army prepared for action.
"Beimo should wise up, or we'll tear down their stronghold!"
"The people of Beimo have no shame. They're the ones who wanted to fight, but when they lose, they refuse to accept it and start crying. When they were bullying our Da Huan, did they show any sympathy? Now they want us to sympathize with them. Where was their sympathy for us back then?"
"Exactly."
"Keep a close eye on them. Don't let the people of Beimo make any moves."
"Yes!"
The negotiations with Beimo were still handled by Fang Jiayi. The people of Beimo were already afraid of this woman. When they saw her, they couldn't help but feel intimidated.
"Unfortunately, Da Huan cannot accept your demands," Fang Jiayi said calmly as she took her seat. "Actions have consequences, and since you in Beimo took the first step, now that you've lost, you must abide by Da Huan's rules."
Throughout the conversation, Fang Jiayi controlled the narrative. She spoke clearly and logically, leaving no room for rebuttal. Instead, she could easily find flaws in the arguments of the other side, leaving them speechless.
The officials from Beimo who came to negotiate wore defeated expressions. By now, everyone in Beimo knew that you should never deal with the female official from Subei. If you couldn't avoid it, you might as well just admit defeat.
They needed to prepare themselves mentally beforehand to avoid falling into despair after the negotiations.
With Fang Jiayi taking charge, the result was inevitable. The people of Beimo, unwilling as they were, had no choice but to comply with Da Huan's demands under the watchful eyes of the Subei Army.
"They want a little more time," A few days later, the latest developments reached the palace. After reading through it, Shang Junlin said, "They claim they can't gather so much compensation at once, so they'll deliver it to Da Huan altogether after the spring arrives."
"Beimo surrendered so quickly?" Shen Yu was surprised.
"They also made an unusual request," Shang Junlin said with a hint of amusement. "They hope the court will recall Fang Jiayi back to the capital and not leave her in Subei."
"It seems that Beimo has surrendered quickly this time. Miss Fang must have contributed a lot," Shen Yu remarked. He had heard of Fang Jiayi's prowess in battle, and in the political circles of Beimo, she had become a terrifying figure.
Shang Junlin nodded. "I have to admit, she has saved us a lot of trouble."
Shen Yu smiled. "A meritorious subject. Your Majesty should reward her properly."
"Of course," Shang Junlin replied. "Ah Yu, have I not always been fair in rewarding and punishing?"
"In my heart, Your Majesty is undoubtedly the best ruler."
With the Beimo situation temporarily resolved, they claimed they couldn't gather so much compensation immediately. Da Huan couldn't press them, but it was still better to secure some assets, such as the grassland Shang Junlin had been eyeing for a while.
"It's an act of kindness on Your Majesty's part to give them more time. But for something like a grassland that already exists, they shouldn't need more time, should they?" Shen Yu's slender fingers traced over the documents, pausing at a certain point.
Shang Junlin covered his hand with his own. "Ah Yu is absolutely right. They claim their people are suffering from hunger, don't they? Once I take over, I will solve these problems for them."
